These are the random thoughts and reflections of John Rohs, Principal of Papakura High School, on topics of interest in education. Readers are welcome to comment on these.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

TECHNOLOGY AND STUDENT VOICE

Over recent weeks staff have had the opportunity to participate in a range of toolkit workshops and sessions on enhancing their digital pedagogy. These have been greatly appreciated.I am struck by the fact that the relationship between teacher and students is greatly enhanced when digital tools are being used as part of the pedagogical process.I recently read a quote in a text that has intrigued me, entitled Technology Integration and High Possibility Classrooms, by Jane Hunter (Routledge 2015) The quote reinforces what I have been observing in the workshops I have attended: "Technology gives reluctant learners a voice, the student who is not confident or who is not engaged can suddenly be good at something - when they develop their ideas, they can produce something using technology. It doesn't always have to involve technology, but more often it does. The product can then be praised by the teacher." (p.99)The fact that teachers and students can interact and engage in learning outside of the confines of the school day and environment using Google apps also impacts on that relationship, as both can be in their own space and collaborate at a time that suits. I am very grateful to the staff who are helping their colleagues gain the confidence to be effective in their use of this relationship enhancing technological tool.

2 comments:

Thanks for sharing this reflection John. It highlights something about the concerns expressed by some others who worry about the impact of digital technology on relationships in the classroom. Knowing what the research tells us about the importance of quality relationships for effective pedagogy, your observation and reference is encouraging.